Section tool dispenser with automatic inventory indication



Feb. 25, 1969 w. w. FLATT 3,429,633

SECTION TOOL DISPENSER WITH AUTOMATIC INVENTORY INDICATION Filed Aug. 15. 1966 FIG. 2. F76. 3. FIG. 4

IN VEN TOR. W/u. TEE m FAA 7r 4 rroexve VS United States Patent 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cabinet for tools comprising a tray having a bottom and upstanding short sides about its periphery, a cross-like central frame secured to and extending above said tray, and including fixed walls, outer walls hingedly secured to ends of said fixed walls to turn about vertical pivot axes adjacent the sides of said tray and extending thereabove to define an enclosure, and inner walls within said enclosure removably and hingedly pivoted at one of their ends to ends of said fixed walls, all of said walls being of double-wall construction and including spaced partitions to define upwardly opening pockets for the reception of tools.

This invention relates to an improvement in a tool cabinet wherein a double-wall case is provided, the walls having partitions defining vertical pockets for storing and protecting tools, instruments, and the like, and being hinged to permit swinging for opening the cabinet to yield access to tools in similar, double-wall, pocketed and hinged interior walls.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a tool cabinet of the described construction which permits of instantaneous selection of any one of the stored tools, or instruments.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lightning fast inventory indicator wherein the owner can swing open all movable compartments or sections, and at a glance can see if a single tool or stored object is missing. The owner does not have to say, I have such and such if I can find it. If he has it, he knows where to find it.

A still further object is to provide, in a storage unit, means for selecting an assembly of removable sections for said unit that can be conveniently exchanged to make a combination that best fulfils the requirements according to the owners selection of tools or objects that he desires to store in such a manner as to be instantly accessible wtih no fumbling and searching required, providing a storage unit that is never obsolete and can always be adapted to new requirements.

A still further object is to provide a large variety of exchangeable sections that can be quickly and economically exchanged with any exchangeable section for another section that is arranged with different types of storage facilities that will quickly fit into place of the removed section, but whose storage facilities better adapt themselves to the new requirements.

A still further object is to provide a means of convenient storage and inventory indication that will not become obsolete or outdated, so that this new type storage unit will warrant the finest and strongest construction of said storage unit during manufacture.

A still further object is to provide a storage system that will quickly pay for itself in saving valuable time that is usually lost searching for stored tools or other objects, and at the same time keep the owner in a good frame of mind that also pays oif.

A still further object is to provide the tool or object storage system with a self contained service tray that is not extra, but part of the storage unit itself, and this tray ice snaps into place forming the bottom portion of the storage unit and can be quickly detached to use as a service tray.

A further object of this invention is to furnish a type of storage system that can be transported by one or more persons, but in the event the storage unit is loaded too heavily, the design of said storage system makes it instantly adaptable to set onto a skeleton framework in such a manner that the service tray-cabinet bottom combination can be easily accessible and replaceable while resting on said framework which supports two or more rollers or wheels, or the storage unit may be constructed to receive snap-in-place wheels, rollers or casters.

Representative embodiments of this invention are herein presented, but it will, of course, be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to incorporation in still other forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above and in front of a tool cabinet constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view of a central boxlike section alone;

FIG. 3 is a similar perspective view of a small center tray which fits within the upper portion of the section illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a replaceable, pocketed and hinged internal wall of the cabinet.

A plurality of pivoted wall sections 3, 3, 2 and 2 constitute, when closed, the side walls of a storage unit. The angle walls 2 and 2 are shown in an open position. Walls 3 and 3 are shown in a closed position. Each and every wall is shown with a plurality of pockets or storage compartments and indicated at points 5, 5, 5 and all other 5s. Not every pocket is numbered, but each door and inner wall has one pocket numbered with the figure 5. In each door or wall there are a plurality of pockets. These pockets will vary in size on many of the manufactured exchangeable walls so that a selection of sizes, shapes, and number of segments of each door (or wall) can be chosen by the purchaser.

The outer wall segments 2, 2, 3 and 3, as well asthe inner pivoted walls, swing closed or open and are pivoted at points 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1. When closed, the two swinging ends, 7 and 7, of the two pivoted outer walls, 2 and 2, close against upright section 14 at point XX.

Each and every swinging wall is pivoted for the purpose of adjusting it, during selection of contents, to a position that renders its contents accessible with the greatest possible ease and convenience.

Stationary pocketed walls 16, 16, 16, and 16 are back to back in pairs against the skeleton framework lengthwise vertical plate 12, 12. This vertical plate 12 and 12 is permanently connected on each end to upright T sections 10 and 10. These T sections are butted and permanently connected to the upper edges of crossmembers 11 and 11.

Mid cross-section 14 is permanently connected crosswise to the center rib plate #12 and 12. Thus the skeleton framework is completed for the storage unit by the connection, permanently, of 12, 12 to 10, 10 at the ends of 12, 12, and the permanent connection of vertical end T sections to 11 and 11 as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 2 shows a detail of the cross-midsection shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows details of the little tray that fits into the upper cavity of 14 leaving enough space between the cavity floor of 14 and the bottom of tray 15 to permit storage of accessories to the midget tools or other objects stored in the tray 15.

In FIGURE 4 is shown one of the detachable storage walls similar to 6 and 6. This wall may be also provided with pivoting facilities on the opposite end from 1 and 1 to attach one or more additional folding walls.

Any one of these folding walls may be made in two or more segments and all primary pivoting ends of the group of segments pivoted on a tube of suitable material. This tube is flared at upper and lower ends to hold the group of segments together in one group. This tube can then be snapped into place in exchange of a non-segmented unit and any one of these segments can freely pivot on the tube, and the tube pivots on the normal pivot pin used in any pivoting position where this segmented wall can properly replace the other unit, or vice versa, a single unit can replace a segmented unit.

With all folding walls standing in open position, many lineal feet of storage compartments are exposed at a glance revealing the inventory of the entire storage unit, thus providing a lightning fast inventory indication.

Service tray 8 is quickly detachable by removing four lock pins shown at 9, 9, and 9. The other pin is not in view. Pins 9, 9, 9 and 9 may be replaced with a catch that snaps onto the tray when in assembled position.

This tray can be quickly removed from its duty serving as bottom of storage unit and then used as a service tray to hold parts, objects or selected tools for a particular operation of repair.

I claim:

1. A storage cabinet for tools, instruments and the like, comprising a bottom tray having a bottom and upstanding short sides completely about the periphery of the bottom, a cross-like central frame secured to and extending above said tray, said frame including fixed walls partitioning the tray and spaced thereabove, outer walls hingedly secured to ends of said fixed walls to turn about vertical pivot axes adjacent the sides of said tray and extending the sides of said tray upwardly to define an enclosure, and inner walls within said enclosure removably and hingedly pivoted at one of their ends to ends of said fixed walls,

said fixed, outer and inner walls each being of doublewall construction including a pair of substantially paral lel sides and spaced partitions connecting the sides to define upwardly opening pockets for the reception of tools.

2. A cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said bottom tray is releasably secured to said central frame and inner and outer walls permitting detachment and removal of the tray for separately storing and carrying selected tools.

3. A cabinet according to claim 2, wherein said removable inner walls are replaceable by walls having different sized pockets for different tools.

4. A cabinet according to claim 2, wherein means is provided on said inner walls for adding additional pivoted walls thereto capable of folding against and unfolding from said inner Walls.

5. A cabinet according to claim 1, wherein is additionally provided means for varying the depth of said pockets.

6. A cabinet according to claim 1, wherein said outer walls are each L-shaped in horizontal cross-section to define two angled half sides of a rectangle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 578,445 3/1897 CObleigh 312262 X 1,409,445 3/ 1922 Hillyer et a1 3l2324 X 1,600,830 9/1926 Lewis 312324 2,357,555 9/1944 Seaton 3l2324 2,522,768 9/1950 Wiepert 3l2293 2,630,362 3/1953 Bass 312-285 FOREIGN PATENTS 576,934 5/ 1924 France.

30,7 6 8 5/ 1920 Norway.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner. 

